If you live in Idaho then you have probably have a garden, a park nearby, and a dog or two. Am I right? This describes almost every household I have worked with! As an upholsterer and budding designer I have found that finding the right fabrics and systems to make your home and lifestyle seamless can be a challenge.
Our instinct is to move messes away from our pretty furniture but not all of us have a separate space where the kids can get stuff dirty without recourse. One way to encourage less plopping/dirt, but not feeling defeated when it happens, is to choose furniture that is more about your lifestyle, less about how pretty it looks in a picture. This can be achieved by choosing pieces that are made out of real wood, machine washable fabrics and even scale. Let’s jump in and I’ll show you what I mean!
Frames
As you know, I’m an upholsterer, so I am going to have some serious opinions on furniture. Like it or not we live in a world where throwaway anything is very encouraged. Let’s take a step back from that mentality for a moment and consider what our home, our life, would look like if we leaned towards longevity. In this case, choosing furniture that will stand through at least one generation (that’s 20 years, btw).
When I say the words solid frame, what do you think of? High end furniture that is way out of budget? Hardwood? Mission Style furniture? This all fits within those two words, solid frame, but it can also mean a frame that is made from off-cuts of hard wood.
Traditionally, furniture was made from multiple woods, all hard but not all visible. The visible pieces were made of oak, maple, or walnut…mostly. The furniture was made of what was available in the region it was being milled. This is all info I got from my mentor and others through my years in the field. The point I am making is that it wasn’t always pretty wood and often sections were made from off-cuts that could still provide a purpose. Sustainability and longevity were the goals.
Furniture made with sustainability and longevity are still available but you will have to look past the big box stores. (My couch is a solid piece and I got it a furniture liquidation store in Meridian!) Maybe even consider buying a piece at a time vs. an entire room in one go. To find these pieces talk to your local upholsterer (hint hint) or a designer, or even a trusted thrift store. Take a closer look at Gramma’s chair you’ve been keeping in the garage, I bet that is a solid piece. That’s another blog post though. The point is to gain some knowledge that will help you in your future purchases.
Fabric
Have you heard of fabrics will a stain guard already on them? Most furniture stores carry them now and I have been recommending them for almost a decade now. It needs to be noted that fabric with a stain guard does not extend the life of the fabric, it just protected longer than the average fabric. These fabrics are treated with a coating that allows the owner to use water for cleaning purposes.
QUICK SIDE BAR: Fabric as a whole is getting pretty expensive these days, so go into your fabric consultation with your eyes wide open. There are lots of options online and often can be had a lower price than what we, as upholsterers, can offer. The downside? If we cannot guarantee how the fabric will act (because we don’t know how or if it was tested) then we don’t like to use it. It will then be up to your specific upholstery shop on how to proceed.
As I was saying, there are fabrics with guards on them for stain, water repellent and the like. Many of these fabrics are also great for our four-legged family members as well as the kiddos. The weaves on many of the fabric options are tighter and if you can keep the messes to a minimum with water and Dawn soap then all the better! Another great way, and sometime more budget-friendly, way to go is to use a machine washable fabric. Almost all the same benefits as you can still use Dawn and water to fix the mess.
Again, this is a conversation to be had with your local upholsterer and/or designer. We aren’t too hard to find and are usually pretty open to answering these questions. At least, I am. I am more than happy to share my know-how.
Scale
We have arrived at the discussion on scale. Here is another spot where I have definite opinions! There is more to living room design and active lifestyles than an overstuffed sectional! Okay, rant done.
I live in an old farmhouse that was built when people and spaces were smaller. I have enough room for a solid 3-seater couch and a recliner. There is a fish tank on the opposite wall so my other little chair is across the room next to a window. I digress. (The photo below is not my living space, fyi…)
We all know that style consists of personal taste, trends, durability, lifestyle and scale. Considering things like flow, tables, tv placement, and conversation in your living room will help you decide on what works for your needs. For instance: my son uses a wheelchair when he is at home so a coffee table is out. Sometimes opting for a “regular” size couch and two chairs jvs. the really big sectionals will create a better feeling and flow in your space.
That’s it for today. I think I’ve given you enough to mull over and hopefully encouraged you to rethink some of your options. A little tip from an upholsterer, I will not reupholster anything that is made out of OSB. If the frame is not glued and screwed I cannot work on it for fear of it falling apart as I pull fabric over it. I have found that sometimes it is better to be okay with squeezing the budget in the short-term to gain the benefits in the long-term. Just a thought.
Until next time!
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